February 14th is Valentine’s Day… A day we reserve for lovers and loving. I decided to explore two aspects of love stimulated by this day of love. First, we’ll look at a few ideas on where to take your beloved on Valentine’s Day and why honoring this day is important. Second, I wish to extend the notion of loving another person to loving our whole world. Not in some abstract way but through a concept called Civility.

First, what to do on Valentine’s Day. I suggest planning an excursion to someplace romantic and lovely. Awhile back I looked at restaurants in Second Life (Virtual Sustenance) and The Terrace Lounge and Grille was my choice as the most romantic.

Jorden Andrew, the owner, explained the social value of having a meal in SL, “It is an experience that they may not be able to experience with their loved one or family in RL, but can in SL. So, we try to depict that real life experience. There are role play restaurants in SL. I just don’t consider us one. For us the experience is real.” Andrew said, “I love what I do. I owned a restaurant in San Francisco years ago and SL allows me the opportunity to continue here.” Reservations are required.

Deepy checking out a picnic site at Duet and pondering with whom to share it.

How about a picnic? Pick up a basket of goodies and head out to a spot where you can rezz a blanket and settle down with your loved one. Dysfunctionality can supply the goodies, but you must find a place to rezz them. The sim called Duet is very pretty and if you join the group you can rezz objects. I found a pretty spot in the woods, rezzed my picnic blanket and basket and decided it was a great setting for a Valentine’s tryst.

Now what about Civility? Civility is the ability and desire to discuss common issues, where disagreement exists, in a polite and respectful manner.

Many feel, myself included, that civility has declined in our social and political discourse. George F. Will, writing in the Austin American Statesman (January 29, 2017) said “… They emerged from their expensive ‘college experiences’ neither disposed nor able to conduct civil, informed arguments.”

Action is required and practicing civility is recommended. SL offers locations where civility can be found and such engagement in our virtual world will surly generalize to the real world. There are thousands of SL locations suitable for such practice. Two that I recommend are The Science Circle and Kira Cafe.

So, in honor of Saint Valentine, the patron of love, explore two aspects of love. First, find romantic love with your beloved. Second, extend agape love to others through polite and civil discourse.

Written and photographed by Deepthinker Oh. Her outfit in the picnic photo is from LUXE Paris and the necklace was a special item for Breast Cancer Awareness Month made by EF: Effloresce. The texture used in the Featured Image was designed by Mika Palmyra and is used with permission.

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A Man and a Chair

One spring night, Mind Carlberg was hanging out, minding his own business, when suddenly he had the urge to rez two walls and a chair. He was feeling especially happy, so he took off his clothes and started taking pictures of himself around the chair. Of the more than one hundred pictures he took that night, he framed 24, mounted an exhibit and then invited his friends to take their own pictures.

The response he got has been amazing. There are now more than one hundred self-portraits in the exhibit, all of them based on a simple idea: a chair and a naked body. And very fittingly, the installation is mounted in the Buried Man sim, a place devoted to exploring all kinds of artistic manifestations.

Would you be interested? Come to and take a look at Naked with a Chair. If you are so inclined... be a part of it too. But even if you don’t, you’ll want to see what so many people have done with that chair. And you’ll have a great time watching all the other installations around the sim.

by Coco St. George

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